AREA SPINSTER DIVES FOR FAINTING COUCH: WaPo’s Taylor Lorenz Is Bent Out Of Shape Again, You Guys.

The comparisons were happening so frequently that Lorenz felt the need to comment on it, making the entire situation exponentially worse for her and so much more fun for spectators of Twitter wars (a modern bloodsport). Lorenz had to “spend all day dealing [with]” what she felt was an “ongoing misogynistic hate campaign” fostered by fans of Fox News anchor and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson and “Libs Of TikTok.” She shared an update to her Twitter — which I thought had been cancelled — on her big feels.

Apparently all the attention Lorenz was getting was “overwhelming” and she’s having a tough time dealing with the “level or hate [and] threats” she’s been getting. It’s unclear if the hate and threats were as a result of her finding her doppleganger in Raichik, or over the fact she doxxed Raichik back in April 2022, almost destroying her life and career.

The Washington Post published personal information on Raichik that helped people online find her address. While Twitter users were quick to point out the aesthetic similarities between Lorenz and the founder of “Libs of TikTok,” most of the hatred aimed at the social media celebrity and sometimes-journalist stemmed from her treatment of Raichik.

Flashback: Are There Any Adults at the Washington Post?

YOU AND I HAVE A RENDEZVOUS WITH SCARCITY: Global economy is heading into a decade of low growth, economist says.

“The reopening of the Chinese economy is certainly going to give a significant boost to growth all over the world, but also — and I think it is a very important factor — German exporters, French exporters have felt the pinch of the lockdown and the weakening of the profit environment in China, and this is certainly going to help a lot.”

However, he suggested that this boost will not come close to bringing growth levels close to where they were in the years before the pandemic for a good while to come.

“I think that we are probably going to move into a decade of very, very poor growth in which developed economies are going to find themselves lucky with 1% growth per annum, if they are able to achieve it, and what is more unfortunate than everything else is with elevated levels of inflation,” Lacalle said.

“I think that we are living the backlash of massive stimulus packages that were implemented in 2020 and 2021. That has not delivered the kind of potential growth that many economists expected.”

Unexpectedly! Why, it’s as if “Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore,” as a befuddled senior citizen once said.

FORMER POPE BENEDICT IS ‘VERY SICK,’ POPE FRANCIS SAYS.

OF COURSE: All the great women in history were actually men.

One of the great, pesky questions of human history has finally been answered. For thousands of years , as we all know, most great accomplishments were the works of men. But now and then there was an outlier, a woman doing great things. Esther in the Bible, Joan of Arc or Elizabeth I of England. It made no sense — but today, thanks to the tireless work of gender studies departments we know the truth: those weren’t women at all. They were actually men.

This weekend we had further confirmation of this revelation from the New York Times which ran a piece revealing that Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, was a trans man.

We know this because sometimes Alcott went by “Lou” and mentioned having a “boys’ spirit.”

I’m sold. I mean Alcott’s work shows an intimate and profound understanding of girlhood and womanhood. Who understands those things better than men?

But why stop with Alcott?

Indeed! The Washington Free Beacon’s 2022 Man of the Year: J.K. Rowling.

IT’S LIKE THEY’RE TREATING KURT SCHLICHTER NOVELS AS HOW-TO GUIDES: Woke and broke U.S. Army now accepting recruits with ADHD, other “behavioral challenges.”

NOT SHOCKED AT THIS CONNECTION: Immunologists uncover obesity-linked trigger to severe form of liver disease.

HOW’S THAT SPACE PROGRAM COMING ALONG? Simulate an asteroid impact of any size at any location.

I WAS PROMISED THE REVERSE: A Surprising Consequence of Cannabis Legalization: Higher Alcohol Consumption.

READER FAVORITE: Alpha Grillers Instant Read Meat Thermometer. #CommissionEarned

I DON’T NEED ONE, BUT I KINDA WANT ONE: First Look: SIG Sauer P320 X-Five DH3 Pistol.

MCCARTHY SAYS CAPITOL TO REOPEN JAN 3: GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), sounding confident about next week’s vote for a new Speaker of the House, says the U.S. Capitol Complex will reopen next Tuesday.

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Overdose deaths up 14% nationally since the pandemic.

BE PREPARED: Snow Joe Shovelution Strain-Reducing Snow Shovel. #CommissionEarned

I KNOW SEVERAL WOMEN WHO SAY THE SAME THING: Studios Ignore Henry Cavill at Their Own Peril.

Henry Cavill is like many leading men. He’s handsome and talented, and anything he appears in automatically attracts viewers. However, unlike most leading men, his fanbase consists of both typical and atypical elements for someone like him. While he does have the love of moviegoers, women, and the respect of many a man, he also has a massive following in the nerd and geek communities.

This is because Cavill is, himself, a rabid geek and an unabashed one at that.

It’s this geeky quality that led Cavill to pursue various roles that should have made studios a lot of money. All they had to do was listen to Cavill. However, that’s not what they did. They ignored him, and now things are crumbling around them.

Read the whole thing.

ALSO NOT SHOCKING: The Standard Cut-Off Point for Low Testosterone May Be Inaccurate for Many Men. “300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) is the accepted threshold value for low testosterone. That criterion, however, ignores the normal age-related drop in testosterone levels and is based on testosterone studies of older men.”

IT ISN’T AFFIRMING: ‘Gender-affirming Care’ for Children Has No Medical Benefits.

GOOD: Real-time rip current identification tool uses AI and deep learning.

SAD: Saudis Scrap $280 Million Jumbo Jet After Just 42 Hours Of Flight. “Since the prince died, the plane never flew and sat in Switzerland for a decade. No buyers ever struck a deal to purchase the jumbo jet outfitted with luxury throughout the cabin.”

AT AMAZON, Shop New Year’s Deals. #CommissionEarned.

PLANETARY DEFENSE: NASA begins construction on asteroid-detecting space telescope.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: CCP-style Social Credit Controls Now Showing at Radio City Music Hall. “’I don’t practice in New York. I’m not an attorney that works on any cases against MSG,’ Conlon explained. But none of that mattered once the computers in charge decided she didn’t have enough social credit to attend a show.”

CASUALTIES OF THE WAR ON CHILDREN: Mental health emergency visits rising faster than other pediatric cases.

HISTORY: The Nimitz Way. “Admiral Chester W. Nimitz commanded the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet and the Pacific Ocean Areas Theater during World War II, but his contributions to victory have been obscured by his modest leadership style. An ‘accommodating’ and ‘nurturing’ nature—well described by historians Craig L. Symonds and E. B. Potter—meant that Nimitz was content to see his subordinates receive accolades for battlefield successes while he remained in the background. But Nimitz’s style belied the extent of his skills. He used an aggressive theory of combat to overcome the inherent uncertainty of war and shape the conflict in the Pacific. Nimitz had an artistic ability to seize emerging opportunities, impose his command’s will on the enemy, and bring the war to a successful, and surprisingly rapid, conclusion.”

An excellent — and not too long — read from USNI.

NEW YEAR SALE: Jackery Outdoor Generators and Solar Panels. #CommissionEarned

ON FIRE FOR FREE SPEECH: Glenn has always been so generous in recommending FIRE (my former employer) as an end-of-year gift for those looking to give. DonorsTrust (a donor-advised fund, also very good folks) highlights FIRE’s work today on its Giving Ventures podcast.